‘I will not be silent’, Kamala Harris tells Netanyahu as she presses for peace deal

Kamala Harris signalled a major shift in Gaza policy on Thursday as she urged Benjamin Netanyahu to finalise a peace deal, telling him she had “serious concern” over casualties.

Ms Harris hosted the Israeli prime minister at the White House for a meeting that was closely watched for signs of how she might change American policy on Israel if she becomes president.

Welcoming Mr Netanyahu to her ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the vice president said they had a “frank and constructive meeting”.

Ms Harris said she reiterated her “unwavering commitment” to the US ally’s security, but she also made her concerns about Gaza’s dire humanitarian situation clear.

“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent,” Ms Harris said.

She called for a deal to release the hostages kidnapped during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that launched the war.

Ms Harris’s remarks were sharp and serious in tone, and reflected what could be a shift from President Joe Biden in how she deals with Mr Netanyahu.

She is currently under scrutiny from the political Left, who argue that Mr Biden has not done enough to pressure Mr Netanyahu to end the conflict, and from Republicans, who criticise her for being insufficiently supportive of Israel.

A senior administration official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, stated there is “no daylight between the president and vice president” on Israel.

Ms Harris’s last one-on-one engagement with the Israeli leader was in March 2021, but she has participated in more than 20 calls between Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu spoke with Mr Biden in the Oval Office, with the president calling for Israel to wind down its nine-month-long campaign against Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu also met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday, following his address to the US Congress.

“We discussed the opportunities and challenges in AI, its impact on the economy and society, and explored ways for technological cooperation with Israel,” Mr Netanyahu said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

11:11 PM BST

That’s all for today.

Thanks for following the Telegraph’s live blog. We’ll be back tomorrow with the latest US election news.

11:01 PM BST

Pictured: Harris meets Netanyahu

09:51 PM BST

Pictured: Gaza protestors near White House

09:28 PM BST

Democrats condemn Harris over border ‘failures’

Six Democrats have voted with Republicans to condemn Kamala Harris’s alleged failure to address the soaring number of undocumented migrants at the US’s southern border, writes Andrew Buncombe.

Republicans claimed the 59-year-old presumptive Democratic nominee had failed to get a grip on what has become a hugely contentious issue in the country, with the vote passing 220 to 196.

Though the resolution is non-binding and largely symbolic, it identifies a weakness that Republicans will likely keep targeting up until the presidential election in November.

Read the full report here.

09:06 PM BST

Pictured: Harris arrives in Maryland ahead of Netanyahu meeting

08:52 PM BST

Harris: Trump ‘backpedaling’ on debate

Kamala Harris has accused Donald Trump of “backpedaling” away from a previous agreement for a debate hosted by ABC News in September.

“I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,” the vice-president aid after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas.

The debate, scheduled for September 10, was one of two debates that President Joe Biden and Trump had agreed on. The first one was hosted by CNN on June 27, but Mr Biden has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Ms Harris as his successor.

Trump has said he would prefer to shift the debate to Fox News, but he would be willing to face off with Ms Harris more than once.

08:36 PM BST

Harris ‘ready’ to debate Trump

Kamala Harris said on Thursday she is “ready” to debate former President Donald Trump, her Republican rival in a November general election.

“I’m ready, let’s go,” Ms Harris told reporters.

08:31 PM BST

Gaza demonstration outside White House

Protesters against the Gaza war held a “die-in” across from Lafayette Park and the White House Thursday as President Joe Biden met with Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu.

The protesters poured red liquid onto the street, saying it symbolized the blood of those killed in Gaza. They chanted, “Arrest Netanyahu,” and brought in an effigy of the Israeli prime minister with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit. The jumpsuit reads, “Wanted for crimes against humanity.”

08:09 PM BST

Republicans condemn Harris’ border record

House Republicans are moving quickly to emphasize Kamala Harris’s role in the Biden administration’s handling of the US border with Mexico, passing a resolution Thursday that condemns her performance in the job.

The resolution, which is purely symbolic, echoes an attack line that Donald Trump has taken against Ms Harris since she rose to become the likely Democratic presidential nominee. All House Republicans and six Democrats in tough reelection races voted for the resolution.

07:53 PM BST

Ceasefire negotiations being finalised

Negotiations on a long-sought ceasefire-for-hostages deal in the Gaza conflict appear to be in their closing stages, a senior US official said on Wednesday.

The official, briefing reporters ahead of the talks, said the remaining obstacles are bridgeable and there will be more meetings aimed at reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas over the next week.

US officials have made similar pledges before about a ceasefire which evaporated under last-minute differences.

On Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu gave a defiant speech to the US Congress in which he defended Israel’s attacks on Gaza, saying anti-Israel protesters “should be ashamed of themselves.”

07:37 PM BST

Biden: ceasefire needed ‘soon’

Joe Biden will tell Benjamin Netanyahu a ceasefire in Gaza is needed “soon,” the White House said Thursday, as the leaders met to discuss the country’s nine-month war with Hamas militants.

“We believe that... we can achieve a deal, but it’s going to require, as it always does, some leadership, some compromise and an effort to get there. The president will be reaffirming for Prime Minister Netanyahu that he believes we need to get there, and we need to get there soon,” a White House spokesman told reporters.

07:26 PM BST

Jennifer Aniston criticises Vance’s ‘childless cat ladies’ comment

Jennifer Aniston has criticised JD Vance after he called Democrats including Kamala Harris “childless cat ladies”, writes Susie Coen, US Correspondent.

Writing on Instagram, the Friends star said: “I truly can’t believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States. All I can say is… Mr Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day.”

The actress, 55, shared a clip of Donald Trump’s running mate making the controversial remarks to Tucker Carlson on Fox News in 2021.

Read the full report here.

07:15 PM BST

Netanyahu: Biden’s a ‘proud Irish Zionist’

Reporters entered the Oval Office shortly after pm. Both President Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, were chatting while standing. They waited for journalists to settle in the crowded room, then shook hands and sat down.

Mr Biden welcomed Mr Netanyahu, who expressed his pleasure at meeting the US president, noting it as a proud Jewish Zionist meeting a proud Irish Zionist.

Mr Biden reminded him of how long his relationship with Israeli leaders goes back, recalling his meeting with Golda Meir, a former Israeli prime minister, and a young man who was sitting next to her. That man, Yitzhak Rabin, later became prime minister of Israel.

Journalists shouted many questions, he didn’t take any, and seems to shake his head when asked if he dropped out of the race due to health issues.

07:03 PM BST

Biden and Netanyahu to meet hostage families

Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu will later meet the families of US hostages held in Gaza.

Relations between Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu are tense over Israel’s conduct in the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attacks, but the US president has continued strong military and political support.

They have met just three times during his presidency, once in September last year in New York, and then when Mr Biden traveled to Israel after the attacks and hugged Netanyahu on the airport tarmac at Tel Aviv.

The meetings come after Netanyahu vowed “total victory” against Hamas in a fiery speech Wednesday to the US Congress.

06:47 PM BST

Watch: Maggots dumped at Netanyahu’s Washington hotel

06:36 PM BST

Netanyahu thanks Biden for life of service

Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he would work with Joe Biden for his remaining time in office, after the US president’s stunning decision to drop his reelection bid.

“I want to thank you for the 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel, and I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead,” Netanyahu said as he met Mr Biden for the first time at the White House to discuss a Gaza ceasefire deal.

06:25 PM BST

Netanyahu meets Biden in Oval Office

Benjamin Netanyahu made his long-awaited White House visit Thursday to meet with President Joe Biden and likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at an important moment for all three politicians.

Mr Netanyahu’s White House visit, his first since before President Donald Trump left office in 2020, comes at a time of growing pressure on all three to find an endgame to the nine-month war, and to free the dozens of Israeli hostages still in Hamas captivity.

Mr Biden greeted Netanyahu in the Oval Office, where the Israeli leader thanked the president for his service.

06:18 PM BST

Harris overtakes Trump in national poll

Kamala Harris has overtaken Donald Trump in a national poll, leading her Republican rival by 46 points to 45.

The survey, by Morning Consult, found that Ms Harris is winning among independent voters, by 40 per cent to Trump’s 38 per cent, and is ahead by three points among voters aged 18-34.

06:12 PM BST

Harris vows to empower unions

Kamala Harris vowed to empower labor unions and prevent school book bans while addressing a powerful teachers’ union on Thursday, seeking to draw a sharp contrast with her Republican rival for the presidency Donald Trump.

In a 20-minute address in Houston to the American Federation of Teachers, Ms Harris, 59, focused on economic policy and workers’ rights, touting plans for affordable healthcare and child care and criticizing Republicans for blocking gun limits in the wake of school shootings.

“Today we face a choice between two very different visions of our nation, one focused on the future and the other focused on the past, and we are fighting for the future,” she said. “Donald Trump and his extreme allies want to take our nation back to failed trickle-down economic policies, back to union-busting, back to tax breaks for billionaires.”

06:03 PM BST

Pictured: Harris boards Air Force Two in Houston

05:55 PM BST

Obama to endorse Harris

Barack Obama plans to endorse Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate soon, according to reports.

Despite withholding his official endorsement since Ms Harris announced her candidacy on Sunday, Mr Obama has privately lent the vice-president his full support and has been in regular contact with her, NBC News reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

It is understood that Mr Obama also plans to appear alongside Ms Harris on the campaign trail. “Aides to Obama and Harris have discussed arranging for the two of them to appear together on the campaign trail, though no date has been set,” NBC reported.

05:19 PM BST

Kamala Harris is a danger to the security of the West

If the prospect of Donald Trump winning re-election as US president has sent a bad case of the jitters through the Western alliance, just imagine the chaos that will ensue if November’s contest results in Vice President Kamala Harris becoming America’s next commander-in-chief.

At least with Trump we have a sense of what to expect if he succeeds in his bid to secure a second term in the White House. On key security issues, such as the future of Nato and the war in Ukraine, Trump has made his views abundantly clear, even if they do not exactly conform with the objectives of other Western leaders.

Trump’s constant threat to withdraw Washington from Nato if other member states do not pay their fair share towards its running costs – together with his claim that he could end American support for Ukraine – have resulted in many regarding a second Trump presidency as posing an existential threat to the future of the western alliance.

Read the full comment piece, by Con Coughlin, here.

05:10 PM BST

Pictured: Harris addresses teaching union

05:00 PM BST

Harris: Trump ‘extremists’ want to ‘ban books’

Ms Harris described her Republican opponents as “extremists” who “want to ban books”, an apparent reference to Republican attempts to ban the teaching of controversial gender ideology in US schools.

“We want to ban assaults weapons and they want to ban books,” Ms Harris said. “Can you imagine? All the while these extremists also attack the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride.”

04:56 PM BST

Unions built US middle class, says Harris

Ms Harris said unions had “helped build America’s middle class,” which was met with applause from the crowd.

“Thank unions for the five day work week, for the eight hour work day,” she said. “Thank unions for sick leave and paid family leave and vacation time. Because the fact is unions helped build America’s middle class, and when unions are strong America is strong.”

04:53 PM BST

Harris: Trump wants to ‘cut Medicare’

Ms Harris added: “Donald and his allies want to cut Medicare and social security, to stop student loan forgiveness for teachers and other public servants, and they even want to eliminate the department of education, and end Head Start.”

04:51 PM BST

Harris: Trump wants to drag country backwards

Ms Harris said: “We are clear-eyed. As we work to build a brighter future and to move our nation forward, there are those who are really trying to take us backward. I’m sure you’ve seen their agenda, Project 2025. Can you believe they put that thing in writing.”

She added that Donald Trump wanted to “take us back” to “failed trickle-down economic policies”, including “union busting”, and giving tax breaks to billionaires.

04:46 PM BST

Harris: Cancel student debt for teachers

Ms Harris said: “We see a future with affordable healthcare, affordable childcare, and paid leave. Not for some, but for all. We see a future where every student has the support and the resources they need to thrive.

“And a future where no teacher has to struggle with the burden of student loan debt. So our administration has forgiven student loan debt for nearly five million Americans.”

04:43 PM BST

Teachers ‘shape America’s future’

Kamala Harris praised the work of teachers in shaping the future of America.

She said: “Our teachers and all the members of AFT, you are visionaries, your work is about the future: you see the potential in every child. You foster it, you encourage it, and in so doing you shape the future of our nation. Which is why we need you so badly right now.”

04:39 PM BST

Harris condemns ‘despicable’ flag burning

Kamala Harris on Thursday condemned the “despicable” and “unpatriotic” burning of an American flag by protesters who rallied in Washington during Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister’s address to Congress.

“I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way,” the Democratic presidential candidate said in an unusually strong statement.

She said Wednesday’s demonstration featured “despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric.”

04:22 PM BST

Jill Biden addresses US Olympic athletes

04:08 PM BST

US flag still missing from Washington’s Union Station

A US flag was still missing from the flagpoles outside Washington’s Union Station on Thursday morning, after pro-Palestine demonstrators pulled it down and burned it.

There were no sign of the protesters themselves, who were doused with pepper spray by police yesterday afternoon. They burned an effigy of Benjamin Netanyahu and waved Palestinian and Hamas flags.  A nearby pavement was spray painted with the word “Gaza”.

03:51 PM BST

Harris to address teachers union

Kamala Harris is propelling her presidential push by speaking Thursday to the American Federation of Teachers, the first labor union to formally endorse her candidacy.

Having emerged as the likely Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden exited the race, Harris intends to travel aggressively to spread her message and rally voters.

The campaign push occurs as the former and retooled Biden campaign, now under Ms Harris’ control, figures out its strategy for generating turnout and maximizing her time in a 100-plus day sprint to the November election against Republican Donald Trump.

03:38 PM BST

Netanyahu to meet Biden and Harris

Benjamin Netanyahu is set to make a long-awaited White House visit to meet with President Joe Biden and likely Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

It comes as thousands of protesters descended on Capitol Hill Wednesday to denounce Israel’s war in Gaza, while Mr Netanyahu delivered a scathing speech to Congress to defend Israel’s conduct in the war and vowed “total victory” against Hamas. More protests against Mr Netanyahu are expected outside the White House.

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